Theatre Studies, BA

Program Description:

The Department of Theatre, Dance, and Motion Pictures is devoted exclusively to the training and education of undergraduate students in the areas of dance, motion pictures, and theatre. Students who wish to study theatre choose from the BA degree in Theatre Studies, or BFA programs in Acting, Acting/Musical Theatre, Dance, and Design/Technology/Stage Management.

The Department of Theatre, Dance, and Motion Pictures is empowered by the Ohio Revised Code to require particular preliminary training or talent for admission to specific programs, and each of the five B.F.A. degree programs has specific criteria for admission to each level of training Students who wish to be admitted as majors in Acting, Acting/Musical Theatre, or Dance must successfully pass an audition or interview. The department has an open admissions policy for first-term students wishing to major in the B.A. programs in Theatre Studies and Motion Pictures History, Theory, and Criticism, and the B.F.A. programs in Design/Technology/Stage Management and Motion Pictures Production. Transfer students are admitted into B.F.A. programs on the basis of a successful audition, interview, or portfolio presentation.

Each B.F.A. program has set criteria for selectively retaining students in the programs. These include a requirement that students earn a GPA of at least 2.0 to continue in the B.F.A. programs; most of the programs require a higher minimum GPA for graduation. The policies are spelled out in the curriculum sections of the department web page. Students are required to consult regularly with an academic adviser.All students who return after an absence of three or more consecutive semesters must reapply to the faculty for readmission to the program, and at the discretion of the faculty they may be required to satisfy program requirements in effect at the time of readmission.

The B.A. Program in Theatre Studies:

The Theatre Studies Program combines studies in theatre with broad preparation in the liberal arts. Students master the fundamentals of acting, directing, history, literature, and design/technology and can use theatre electives to concentrate further in one of these or other areas. The B.A. program is designed to allow students to take a second major or to pursue minor concentrations in two or three other academic areas.

Because of the strength of the theatre production program in the department, the B.A. theatre studies student is in the particularly advantageous position to acquire a high level of practical, as well as theoretical knowledge-a distinction not afforded theatre students in programs with a lesser production emphasis. The student is encouraged to diversify in a variety of disciplines; courses throughout the department, as well as production opportunities, are open to these students.

Methods of Inquiry

V. Electives: 35 Hours

Total: 120 Hours

Graduation Planning Strategy

The Graduation Planning Strategy (GPS) has been created to illustrate one option to complete degree requirements within a particular time frame. Students are encouraged to meet with their academic advisor to adjust this plan based on credit already earned, individual needs or curricular changes that may not be reflected in this year’s catalog.